Elisabeth Krauss

Elisabeth Krauß (born on July 29, 1569 in Bronnamberg ; died on April 5, 1639 in Nuremberg ) was a German philanthropist who set up a study foundation.

Life

Elisabeth was the daughter of the farmers Hanß and Elisabeth Streit. At the age of 10 she hired herself as a maid in Nuremberg and, by her own admission, did her job so diligently and honestly that her last employer, the trader Konrad Krauss, son of Conrad Krauss, married her on March 21, 1598. She lived with her husband for the next 34 years; The marriage resulted in three children: Johann (died as an infant), Conrad (died at the age of 31) and Elisabeth (died at the age of 21). Her husband died on January 22, 1632 of an epidemic that was rampant in Nuremberg. She herself survived him by seven years; her grave in the Rochusfriedhof survives to this day.

As a benefactress, "Elisabetha Kraussin" made a living, especially in the war year 1632, when she was doing a medical service. In her legacy she left 127,000 guilders, which she distributed to several foundations:

• Every year 12 needy theology students should be supported
• Displaced and impoverished ministers and school servants should receive grants
• 200 men and women in need were to be supported in their home near Cadolzburg
• Foundling children from Nuremberg and their guardians were supposed to pray annually to St. John's grave and then be able to receive a good meal in their foundation house

These foundations met with a considerable response: In the summer of 1739 a Kraussian jubilee festival was held in their memory; At the time of the ceremonial speeches, 197,000 guilders had already been distributed from the foundations; 302 students had the benefit of scholarships. In 1806, the foundations continued to work largely according to their original purpose, and the foundlings continued to be fed. Krauss has been called the greatest private donor in Protestant Germany on various occasions. In the 20th century, however, the foundations' capital fell victim to inflation.

literature

• Gerhard Hirschmann: In: Frauengestalten in Franken , ed. Inge Meidinger-Geise. Verlag Weidlich, Würzburg 1985. pp. 72-74. ISBN 3-8035-1242-5 .